Sun World Ba Na Hills, the mountaintop resort in Da Nang in central Vietnam, has introduced two new attractions for summer 2026. One is the interactive light art “Lumière,” where light changes in response to visitors' movements, and the other is the French Village debut of the popular Paris-born boulangerie “Maison Eric Kayser.” This spot, which became widely known in Japan at a stroke thanks to the Golden Bridge (the Bridge of the Hands of God), has been updated along two axes: photogenic appeal and food. Da Nang has multiple direct flights from Japan and is a staple for family trips and girls' trips. The changes give a reason to revisit precisely to those who'd written it off with “I've already been.”
The news that set this off
Da Nang's summer hits high season with the international fireworks festival (DIFF) held in June–July. To coincide with that excitement, Ba Na Hills rolled out, as “summer experiences not to miss,” the roughly 800-square-meter light-art space “Lumière” built on the former wax museum site, and the Eric Kayser shop that opened in the French Village. On top of that, a Sun Festival event and performances by overseas dancers were held during the day, layering new elements onto the staple Golden Bridge and French Village.
What's new: a hands-on light, and real bread
Until now, Ba Na Hills' royal road was a “watch and shoot” style of enjoyment—rising about 1,400 meters at once by cable car, walking the French Village modeled on a European castle town, and photographing the Golden Bridge held up by giant hands. The two new additions slightly change that character.
Lumière is a setup where light projected on floors and walls changes continuously with each step a visitor takes and each touch of the hand, said to use advanced optical and electronic sensor technology. In other words, it's experiential—“the work changes with your own movements,” not “viewing a fixed display.” The theme is “Origin,” created by the Vietnamese art team Chọn Art, with the interior divided into seven zones. Eric Kayser, meanwhile, is an authentic French bakery where you can enjoy croissants and pain au chocolat baked on the spot together with coffee. It means more places to “sit down and eat something genuinely tasty” between the photo spots.
Confirmed figures
Here we organize only the figures we could verify across multiple sources.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Lumière area | About 800 square meters (former wax museum site) |
| Lumière zone count | 7 zones (theme “Origin”) |
| Lumière opening-period ticket | 150,000 dong per person (about 880 yen, converted at 1 yen ≈ 170 dong) |
| Eric Kayser opening | May 30, 2026 (the night DIFF opened) |
| Eric Kayser seats | About 300 seats (inside the French Village) |
Lumière's official opening date was mixed across sources—April 30 (an early opening to coincide with the National Day holidays) and May 5. What's certain is that it “opened in spring 2026 and is operating now in summer,” so this article doesn't fix a date and leaves it with some leeway. Eric Kayser's opening-week perks (happy hour, etc., from May 30 to June 5) are time-limited, so for now treat them as reference and check the official latest information when you visit.
Reactions from locals and visitors
Paraphrasing voices on social media and travel sites, the temperature splits broadly into three. First, the welcome that “there are now more places to shoot besides the Golden Bridge.” The moving-light space gets good reactions from children, and posts noting that families' stay times have lengthened stand out. Second, the surprise that “I never thought I could eat a real croissant on a mountain.” It's praised for overturning the preconception that food at tourist spots is overpriced and taste comes second. Third, wariness about crowds. Because it overlaps with the fireworks season, there are also practical notes that “for popular zones and popular breads, you have to pick your time or you'll queue.”
What it suggests for Japanese travelers and businesses
For Japanese, Ba Na Hills has been the “mountain you go to once” on a Da Nang trip. Flip that around, and it was a place easy to be satisfied with after a single visit and weak on repeat motivation. What makes this update interesting is how it fills that weakness with “added experiences.” The light art is an indoor experience little affected by weather, serving as a refuge during the rainy season or the strong-sun hours. The bakery raises the quality of the stay and creates a natural rest point along the route. It's textbook theme-park operation, but a place once riding on a single photo has moved toward being “a place to spend time.”
When building how to enjoy Da Nang, dividing roles among mountain, sea, and city works well. By day, enjoy the light art and bread at Ba Na Hills; in the evening, come down to the city. For instance, combine it witha seaside spot where you can see the fireworksfor a night view, and you balance indoor and outdoor experiences. For those who want to shop or touch local handiwork, addinga ceramics village near Da Nangfor half a day reveals a rustic Vietnam different from the resort's carefully crafted scenery. Rather than cramming mountain, sea, and village into one itinerary, allotting one theme per day on a two-night, three-day trip is a less tiring way to put it together.
Ripple effects on the industry and market
This move isn't limited to Ba Na Hills alone. Vietnam's major tourist destinations are shifting their footing from cost competition to experiential differentiation. The direction is to extend stay time and per-customer spend rather than just adding one more photo spot. The technique of inviting overseas food brands to create “something you can only eat here” may spread to other central-region cities like Hue and Hoi An.Likehow to enjoy a multi-night stay in Hoi An,
Practical information and access
the flow of getting visitors to stay long without rushing faces the same direction as this addition of experiences. For food brands, it can also be read that Vietnam's resorts are starting to enter the running as places to expand brand experiences at a stroke by using a tourist spot's strong drawing power.
Ba Na Hills is about a 40–50 minute drive from central Da Nang. You ascend the mountain by a cable car known for a world-record-class length, then tour the French Village, the Golden Bridge, and now the Lumière and Eric Kayser. Use is basically centered on an admission ticket bundling the round-trip cable car and in-area facilities, and at opening, a separate Lumière ticket of 150,000 dong (about 880 yen) per person was announced. Fares and perks change by season, so check the official latest information before visiting. During the summer peak overlapping the fireworks festival it gets crowded, so the safe order is to go up early in the morning to secure the light art and food first, then head to the Golden Bridge in the afternoon.Getting to Da Nang has also become more flexible than before. In addition to direct flights from Japan, Vietnam's domestic transport network is being upgraded, and combiningair routes with other resorts like Phu Quoc
makes a beach + mountain tour easier too. It's worth considering an itinerary that doesn't stay self-contained within the central region but combines with cities to the north and south.
Summary: a reason to revisit has emerged
Sources
- Ba Na Hills has tended to be thought of as a place where “once is enough.” With the addition of roughly 800 square meters of light art and Paris bread baked on the spot, you can now spend time that doesn't end with a single photo. If you're planning Da Nang next, try building a day where you don't aim only at the Golden Bridge—play by moving your body at Lumière, take a break at Eric Kayser, and in the evening come down to the city to enjoy the fireworks and seaside. Fares, perks, and dates shift by season, so don't forget to check the official information before you go.
- Danang Fantasticity: Lumière Light Art at Ba Na Hills
- Danang Fantasticity: Eric Kayser bakery at Ba Na Hills
